European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 15, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday february 15, 1994 Winter olympics the stars and stripes Page 37 f 5 re Kennedy spills Chance As German takes Gold luge Bojoh Kekis Lillehammer Norway a in a Flash of steel and ice it was Over for Duncan Kennedy. Fourth after sunday s first two runs Kennedy lost control of his sled near the Bottom of the course on his third run careened off both Walls and sent slivers of ice through the frigid air. He managed to hang on to his sled and Glide to a Stop but his tattered Blue racing suit told his sad Story As he limped off the track. When he left he took with him America s Chance to win its first medal in luge. I m still in Shock Kennedy said. I was going for the track record. I knew the track was fast and i knew it was going to be Tough to beat Georg Hackl and Markus frock. That s the Way it is ".," Gold had All but vanished when Germany s Hackl and Austria s Prock the first two sliders of the Day each shattered the track record to set up a stirring Duel for the top spot. Hackl emerged with the Gold and frock the Silver but Bronze appeared within Kennedy s reach when third place Armin zog Geler of Italy brushed the Wall on his first run of the Day losing valuable time Kennedy confident and composed after sunday s runs his Best performance in three olympics was in the midst of another Strong run when he crashed going Somes Mph. The spectators who had serenaded him with cowbells each time he Slid past on sunday groaned As he Slid to a halt three turns from the finish of the 16-turn track. Kennedy runner up to frock on the world cup Tohir this year had promised not to repeat his disappointing performance at Albertville where he finished 10th. My attitude going into the race was to attack he said. And i did that. It s really hard to say what happened. The pressure from turn 13 catches up a ways Down. The sled gets kind of Light and Squirrell. Maybe i Tensed up a Little bit. I could have relaxed but on this hard ice the same thing could have  he had committed himself to a super fast run said Bob Hughes who gave Kennedy his first ride on a luge in 1980.  in the Middle of his Best run Ever. His last split he was four hundredths of a second off the track record. He corrected a Little bit but started  i thought he was doing great . Luge spokesman Dimitry Feld said. He was just going for that Gold instead it went to Hackl the first Man to win consecutive olympic Gold medals in luge. Frock a Silver medallist at Albertville was runner up again. Frock has won every medal in luge except olym Pic Gold. At 29, he May never get another Chance. I knew that to win i would have to go All out and i did frock said. I just made a few Small  Hackl who led his archrival by one Hundredth of a second entering the Day fell behind by .048 before the final run. But Prock faltered on his second run and Hackl Man aged to recover finishing in 3 minutes 21.571 seconds .013 seconds or 13 inches faster than frock the closest finish in olympic history. Zog Geler captured the Bronze .262 behind Hackl. After the third run i knew i could still make it be cause five hundredths of a second is like nothing Hackl said. I was Lucky. It was like a crime novel there was so much  the German Star dedicated his medal to his coach Sepp Lenz. Lenz lost the lower part of his left leg at Winterberg Germany in december when he was hit during practice by an american sled driven by Bethany Calcaterra Mcmahon. World Champion Wendel Suckow of Marquette mich., made a valiant bid to overtake the leaders. Ninth after the first Day Suckow had the fifth fastest time on his first run monday to move into sixth and Fol Lowed that with another Strong performance to end up fifth the Best Ever for the . Men s team. I really did t know if i d have a Chance of getting up there said Suckow who finished just six thousandths of a second behind fourth place finisher Arnold Huber of Italy. Germany s Georg Hackl celebrates his luge Victory. So i m really Happy with my  despite Suckow s drive All eyes were focused Okennedy the Leader of the . Team and something of a hero since he was beaten up in late october outside a bar in oberhoff Germany  to protect his Lack teammate Robert Pipkins at 26, Kennedy will have to decide whether to continue sliding. Retirement seemed out of the question monday. There was More to accomplish at the next Winter games in Nagano. Life goes on. I still want to go to Japan said Ken Nedy of Lake Placid n.y., who was already thinking of his second favorite sport sur boarding. It would be Nice. Well see if my Back holds  surprising . Pair in Hunt for by Chris Dufresne los Angeles times Kvit Fjell Norway Back at the Lodge austrians Are dropping for pushups. Norwegians Are glowering. The Swiss arson red Yodel Alert. What is America doing on their Leader boards the Cradle of Alpine skiing is rocking with what might be described As Tommy Moe centum a burst of bravado that is taking a firm olympic hold As euro Rac ers Hunt for ski technicians to blame. How is it that Franz Heinzer the great Swiss Down Hiller could come out of his skis at the starting Gate _ Moe who has already snatched the cherished olympic downhill Gold from the clutches of Europe s finest continued his runs of Success monday at the same time Alpine skiing inspiring teammates who gathered near. In the first leg of the olympic combined an event in which the times of a separate downhill and slalom Are added to determine a Champion american Kyle Rasmussen turned in the race of his life finishing second to Norway s Lasse Kjus the Gold medal favorite. Kjus won in 1 minute 36.95, Only one Hundredth of a second faster than Ras Mussen who has never been in such rare fied air. Moe who got Only five hours sleep after Gold medal sunday finished third with a time of 1 36.96. Unfortunately the rest of the combined Story cannot be told until feb. 25, when downhill times will be figured in with those of a slalom at Hafdell. And although the american position is impressive claiming a medal will be no easy chore. Neither Moe or Rasmussen is much of a slalom skier. Rasmussen in fact has not run a slalom this season. Short of a collapse Kjus a Good slalom skier is destined for Gold. The other medal favourites remain nor Way s Kjetil Andre Aamodt sixth in monday s downhill and Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg who finished seventh. Both Are world class slalom its who a their Best figure to be seconds faster than either Moe or Rasmussen. But slalom is a delicate discipline wherein one mistake or missed Gate Means defeat. If one of those Guys goes out i want one of my Guys there Ueli Luthi the . Men s coach said. Moe has finished fourth in two combined events this year. Rasmussen has no track record in the event but like Moe a his Confidence is suddenly soaring. I was actually a Damn Good slalom skier for a while Rasmussen said. But due to some Back troubles i be kind of let up on slalom. But i be got 10days to train for it. I la be  when Rasmussen got married four years ago and wife Linda soon had a baby son Luthi figured Kyle s racing Days were numbered. Downhill cars tend to get soft when they Settle Down. But Rasmussen 25, has used his family As motivation. No sense spending three months away from Home every year for a Bunch of 37th places. Alsgaard leads 1-2 norwegian finish in 30-km Lillehammer Norway a Thomas Alsgaard in his olympic debut upset fellow norwegian and four time medallist Bjorn Dahlie monday to win the men s 30-Kilometer freestyle Cross country ski race before throngs of ecstatic Home country fans. Alsgaard 22, a Power skier who was a triple world Junior Champion in 1991, led most of the. Way and finished in 1 hour 12 minutes 26.4 seconds. Dahlie gave Norway a one two sweep finishing 47.2 seconds behind. Mika Myllyla Leader of Finland s rejuvenated men s team took the Bronze medal 1 47.6 be Hind. Alsgaard took the Lead Only a few Kilometres into the race and held a 5.2-second Edge Over Dahlie at the 12k checkpoint. He increased it to 10 seconds at the half Way stage and after 22.ik was up by 34.5 seconds. By then Dahlie figured he had lost the race. I Felt i would not be Able to catch him when he led by half minute said Dahlie who won three Gold med als and a Silver in the 1992 games. Alsgaard a freestyle specialist said he never expected to win. I thought i had a Chance to medal but Only if every thing worked 100 percent he said. But i never even dreamed of winning the Gold medal. Coming into the second Lap i knew i had a Chance to  Mikhail Bot Vino of Russia was fourth 2 17.4 be Hind for his Best result of the season. Maurilio de Zolt the 43-year-old italian Veteran was fifth 2 29.1 behind. Vladimir Smirnov of Kazakhstan who has won five of six world cup races this season for a commanding Overall Lead was Only 10th, 3 35.4 off Alsgaard s Pace. Luke Bodensteiner of West Bend wis. Was 37th, 7 46.6 behind Alsgaard for the Best american finish. I did t have anything left Bodensteiner said. I used it All i was pretty excited and More focused than in my first olympic race two years ago i m encouraged for the other races  John Aalberg of Salt Lake City a norwegian native who became an american citizen before the 1992 olympics placed 44th, 9 18.7 behind. Carl Swenson of North Conway n.h., placed 46th, 9 42.2 behind in his first olympic race. The fourth american Marcus Nash of Fryburg Maine was 66th out of 72 finishers 14 52.3 behind